Pedal driving apparatus.



PATENTED MAY 17, 1904.

W. s. STBLJBS. PEDAL DRIVING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 26, 1902.

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No. 760,269. PATENTED MAY 17, 1904. W. s. STELJES.

PEDAL DRIVING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1902. NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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i 'T' 1;! q 7/ L UNITED STATES Patented May 17, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WV ALTER SAMUEL STELJES, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THETYPEWRITING- TELEGRAPH CORPORATION, LlMlTED, OF LONDON,

ENGLAND.

PEDAL DRIVING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,269, dated May 1'7,1904.

Application filed November 26, 1902. Serial No. 132,897. (No model.)

2'0 (M6 w/wm it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WALTER SAMUEL STEL- J'ES, a subject of the. KingofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at London, England, have invented anew and useful Improved Pedal DrivingApparatus, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to pedal driving apparatus; and it consists in acombination of devices whereby the movement of the foot or feet of anoperator is caused to produce the rotation of a shaft or spindle alwaysin the one direction, without the possibility of unintentional reversal,and at a high speed without dead-points when at rest, and without theuse of bands in the speed-mnltiplying gear, which when used are alwaystroublesome.

The said driving apparatus is applicable to the operation of lightdynamos, as in telegraph transmitting instruments, to sewingmachines, orto any form of light machinery which it is desired to drive at a highspeed and in which any accidental reversal is not desired or isinjurious.

It is well known that with the ordinary pedal and crank gear,particularly where only one pedal is used, the driving apparatus is aptto stop on a dead-point, and upon starting the driven spindle may berevolved accid entall y in a direction of rotation not desired. Alsowhere band-multiplying speed-gear is used much trouble is caused by thewant of constant tightness of the band. by their varia tion with theweather and their tendency to break unexpectedly or to run oil. Wherefriction-gear of the ordinary kind is used to avoid the use of bands,much trouble is caused by the difliculty of tightening such frictionalgear and its tendency to lose its grip under wear and the necessity foraccuracy in the distances of the shafts. It is to avoid these variousdifficulties that the present driving pedal-gear has been devised.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the gear. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe same. Fig. 3

is a plan of the same, and Figs. 4 and 5 are an elevation and plan ofthe frictional gear.

a is the pedal, pivoted at one end at Z) to any convenient frame andattached at the other end to a chain 0, passing over a sprocketwheel (Z,attached to a clutch-box e of any known design, such as that used inbicycles with so-called free wheels, that is so adapted that it willengage with the shaft f when rotated by the downward pull of the chain0, but which permits the shaft f to revolve freely within it whenovertaking the clutchbox or when the latter is reversed. The farther endof the chain c is attached by a spring 9 to any convenient point on theframe, the elastic recoil of the spring 5 serving to lift the pedal aand reverse the clutch-box a when the pressure of the foot is liftedfrom the pedal. Two pedals may be used instead of one with duplicateclutch-boxes and accessories, as above described, so that the pressureof both feet may be used alternately.

A comparatively heavy fly-wheel it is keyed to the first motion-shaft f,so that the momentum of the fiy-wheel it when set in motion by thedownward pressure of the pedal may be sufficient to carry on therotation of the shaft f, while the pedal rises by the recoil of thespring g and until the next downward impulse of the pedal. The rim alsoof the fly-wheel it is used to transmit a multiplication of speed byfriction to a second driven shaft Z, which may be the spindle of adynamo m or any other light machine; but such frictional transmission iseffected through an intermediate wedging friction-wheel w, of largerdiameter than the space between the fly-wheel 7e and the pulley p on theend of the shaft Z. The said intermediate friction-wheel a is supportedon an arm '1', pivoted on a bracket s, so as to move horizontally in aplane between the fly-wheel it and the pulley p. A springtscrves tobring the intermediate wheel a into direct contact with the peripheriesof the fly-wheel l1 and the pulley 7 and it'is wedged in between them,so as to give a frictional grip proportional to the resistance by theaction of the fly-wheel when it revolves. Such frictional gear is alsoself-adjusting, irrespecth'e of wear or the accuracy of the distances ofthe axes of the various shafts.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

1. In combination, in a pedal frictional driving-gear, a driving-wheeland a driven drum, an intermediate carrying friction-wheel makingcontact with the peripheries thereof and of larger diameter than thespace between the two; an arm'supporting said carrying-wheel so that thelatter is free to rotate thereon, and extending at right angles from thecenter of the plane of revolution of said carrying-wheel; means for thepivotal support of the outer end of the said supporting-arm, permittingsaid arm to move in a plane at right angles to and passing between theperipheries of the said driving-wheel and driven drum; and a springattached to said arm and rigidly fixed at the other end, adapted tonormally cause contact between the said carrying-wheel and thedriving-wheel and driven drum.

2. In combination, a pivoted pedal; means for obtaining therefrom arotation to first motion-shaft without dead-points and in one directiononly; a fly-wheel on the first motionshaft having its periphery adaptedas a frictional transmitting-surface; a drum upon a fixed secondmotion-shaft with a surface ad apted to receive frictional transmission;an intermediate carrying-wheel with periphery adapted to frictionaltransmission, of larger diameter than the space between the fly-wheeland driven drum; ameans of support for the said intermediatecarrying-wheel, consisting of a bar forming at one end a bearing for thesaid intermediate wheel, and at the other end pivoted to a fixedbracket, so as to revolve in a plane at right angles to the planes ofrevolution of the driving-wheel and driven drum,

and passing between them; and a spring torsionally connecting the saidbar to a fixed bracket to determine the normal contact of theperipheries of the said intermediate, driving and driven wheels.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

WALTER SAMUEL STELJ ES. Witnesses:

RICHARD RIHOIFMANN, CHARLES CARTER.

